Ireland claimed their first-ever win over India in international cricket with a 34-run victory in the T20I series opener on Friday, June 26. Shreyas Iyer won the toss for India and elected to field first at Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.
Skipper Lorcan Tucker led from the front with an impactful 50 off 36 balls, while Gareth Delany contributed 49 off 32 balls. The hosts posted 182/9 in 20 overs. Harshit Rana shone with the ball on his return, finishing with excellent figures of 4-0-24-3.
India lost wickets at regular intervals at the start of the chase. Opener Abhishek Sharma kept the visitors in the game with a blistering 49-run knock off 20 balls. However, it was all downhill for the side after his dismissal.
Shivam Dube gave the men in Blue some hope with his 25 off 14 balls. However, it wasn’t enough, and India were ultimately bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs. Matthew Hollard and Matthew Humphreys picked up three wickets each.
Hollard had a memorable debut and was named the Player of the Match for his bowling exploits. On that note, let’s look at three moments from the clash that generated a buzz among fans.
#3 Jai Moondra cleans up Sanju Samson with his first ball in international cricket
Left-arm pacer Jai Moondra struck on the first ball of his T20I career. He started with a 139 kph length delivery outside the off stump to Sanju Samson. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter went for the cut shot but only managed to get a thick outside edge.
The ball took the edge and rattled the stumps. Samson departed after scoring just five runs off four balls. Notably, Moondra became just the second Irish player to take a wicket on the first ball of his T20I career.
Watch the video here:
#2 Tim Tector hits a stunning six off Arshdeep Singh
Team India pacer Arshdeep Singh bowled the first over of the match. The left-arm seamer was off to an impressive start, conceding just four runs from the first five balls.
He finished his over with a short-pitched ball on the stumps to Tim Tector. The opening batter picked up the length early and deposited it for a huge six with an authoritative pull shot.
Watch the video here:
#1 Gareth Delany puts India under pressure by launching an onslaught against Prasidh Krishna
Ireland were 137/5 after 16 overs when Prasidh Krishna returned to the attack. He started the over with a full delivery that was drilled down the ground for a boundary by George Dockrell.
He took a single on the next ball, bringing Gareth Delany on strike. The 29-year-old took Prasidh to the cleaners. He slammed a four down the ground on the third ball. The Indian fast bowler tried everything from a change of pace to a full ball, but the Irish batter countered it with great aplomb.
There was no respite for the bowler as Delany hit a hat-trick of sixes to complete the 27-run over. It swung the pendulum in Ireland’s favor and played a big role in the side crossing the 180-run mark.
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai